Serial Cleaners review: We’re gonna need more bleach

Title: Serial Cleaners
Developer: Draw Distance
Publishers: Draw Distance, 505 Games, Zhiyuan Network
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 (reviewed on), PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Release Date: September 22, 2022

You know when some people are stressed, they have particular habits like reading, taking a drive or eating their weight in baked goods (don’t look at me like that). I knew someone who cleaned when they got stressed and that always weirded me out. Cleaning isn’t fun; cleaning is an obligation of being an adult…or is it? There’s a game out there that not only makes cleaning fun, but makes it an adventure. Granted, you’re cleaning up horrific murders but hey, clean is clean. The game I’m talking about is Serial Cleaners.

Serial Cleaners is the direct sequel to the game Serial Cleaner released in 2017. I know, it can get a bit confusing but this top-down stealth experience is more fun than I expected it to be. There was a holiday game that Jingle Grumps played back in the day called Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa’s Rampage and I thought the idea was hilarious. Serial Cleaners has a similar idea but kicks up the stealth requirements and makes it into more of a puzzle than just mindless cleaning.

In Serial Cleaners, it’s the 90s and you clean up murder scenes for the mob. You play as four different cleaners who have their own special set of skills when it comes to being an organized crime clean-up crew. The game has a very distinct ’90s art feel with grungy colors and blocky textures. It looks good and the gameplay feels good. Each level increases in difficulty as you will need to avoid the eyes of cops, pedestrians and other forms of security. You’ll need to vacuum the blood, dispose of bodies and large evidence, hack computer systems and escape without being caught.

While some of the bloody situations you find yourself in can be exceptionally difficult at times, there’s something relaxing about Serial Cleaners. Maybe it’s the act of solving the puzzle, walking into a bloody mess, only to creep out of a shiny clean apartment, store, etc. Sure, you can run away from the popo, hop over fences and climb through vents, but that causes more anxiety than just biding your time and locking yourself into the bathroom for a little bit. There also might be a wood chipper involved, but don’t worry about that.

There’s a little bit of dialogue in cutscenes between cleanup scenarios but it’s a bit eerie because none of the characters mouth’s move when they are talking, so I’d almost rather just read the dialogue. The voice acting in Serial Cleaners is okay. I mean, no one will be winning an Oscar for it but I’ve definitely heard worse. I just enjoy seeing each new clean-up scenario and how the bats*** crazy keeps multiplying with each one.

You can play Serial Cleaners now and I definitely give it a solid recommendation. It’s a bit stressful at times to try and get around the fuzz when you need to drag a body to an awaiting car or elevator shaft but hey, what’s life without a few challenges?

Serial Cleaners (PS5) Score: 8/10

Serial Cleaners is an interesting puzzle game covered in blood and grunge with a fun ’90s spin. Pop on your yellow rubber gloves and get to cleanin’.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.